Time Traveler (video game)
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| Hologram Time Traveler | |
|---|---|
 Box art for the PC release of Time Traveler. |
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| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega (arcade), Digital Leisure (PC, DVD) |
| Designer(s) | Rick Dyer |
| Release date(s) | 1991 (arcade) 2001 (home) |
| Genre(s) | FMV game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Arcade game |
| Media | CD-ROM, DVD-ROM |
| Input | Joystick, Computer keyboard, DVD remote |
Time Traveler or Hologram Time Traveler (タイムトラベラー?) was a stereographic FMV arcade game released in 1991 by Sega. It utilized a special arcade cabinet produced by Sega that projected the game's characters in a stereogram. This innovative technology attracted many players; however, the poor acting and general decline of the popularity of laserdisc games caused Time Traveler to fade largely into obscurity. However, in 2000, a non-stereographic version that could be played on CD-ROM drives and DVD players was released for home use.
Despite the claims of being a "Hologram" game, the technique was actually an optical illusion using mirrors and a Laserdisc player. The intended effect is to mimic a volumetric display. The gimmick was effective enough to convince people that volumetric displays existed and helped perpetuate the confusion between these devices and holograms.
Like many arcade laserdisc games, it was meant to benefit from the massive popularity of Dragon's Lair; as a result the gameplay is similar, requiring a player to move the joystick in a specific direction at certain points in the game. By inputting the right direction, a movie clip would play that would progress the player, while the wrong move would result in a unique death scene for each segment.
Digital Leisure published a CD-ROM edition of the game for Microsoft Windows, as well as a DVD version that worked in standard players. The latter specifically advertised "PlayStation 2 Compatible" on the cover to attract console owners. As a bonus feature, the game included videos with creator Rick Dyer about the making of Time Traveler. Additionally, the game itself simulated the mirror reflection of the floor of the original arcade cabinet through software and an included pair of 3D glasses.
This game was the first game to receive a 0/10 rating in the Official UK Playstation 2 Magazine. The second was 21 Card Games.
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[edit] Gameplay
The player plays the role of Marshal Graham, a cowboy from the American Old West, who a future princess's computers have selected as the most likely candidate to defeat a mad scientist from the future whose time experiments have "shattered" time. He can shoot some enemies, but others he must outmaneuver or fight hand-to-hand.
The player performs tasks as he travels non-linearly through several time periods, including one called the "Age of Magic." The player has three lives and several time-reversal cubes, which allow the player to reverse time and escape his death, giving him another chance to make the right decision.
Along the way, players may buy more time-reversal cubes by inserting more coins into the arcade machine. In Hellgate, an "in-game" game, the player can bet a life to win in-game items.
[edit] Bugs
- Contrary to the time-reversal cube trader's statement telling you that you can not buy more reversal cubes at this time, if you insert coins afterward (but not after you've left her), your inventory of them will go up.
[edit] See also
- Laserdisc video game
- Space Ace
- Holosseum The only other game released for this cabinet.
[edit] External links
- Screenshots and Artwork at the official Digital Leisure site
- Time Traveler at Killer List of Videogames
- Time Traveler at Coinop.org
- Time Traveler at Dragon's Lair Project
- Review at Just Adventure
- Review at Game Nation
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